14 GOING5 ON ABOUT TOWN MOTION PICTURéS THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR-In the funniest scene of this funny picture, remini"cent of the golden days of lViack Sennett, a basketball team defeats its opponents by bouncing off the ground and darting about in midair The secret is a n1agic substance called Flubber. Fred lVlaclViurray, as the man who concocts it, is a model of academic preoccupation (lViusic Hall, 6th Ave. at 50th, CI 6-4600.) BALLAD OF A SOLDIER-A Soviet film about the war that is less a drama than a collection of memorable photographic essays. Director Grigori Chukhrai tells his story about a young soldier's short leave by concentrating on the faces of 1\"0 young lovers, played by Vladimir I vashov and Shanna Prokhorenko, and viewing the carnage through their guile- less and tragically youthful gaze. (lViurray Hill, 160 E. 34th, MD 5-765 2 .) BEN-HuR- This version of the ancient war horse offers Charlton Heston as the rich, spiritual, and muscular lViediterranean athlete. (State, B'way at 45th, JD 2-5070. Weekdays at 8 and Sundays at 7:30. lViatinees vVednesdays, Sat- urdays, and Sundays at 2. Reserved seats only ) BREATHLESS-i\ brilliant, nervous consistently exciting N"ew Wave film from France, writ- ten and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Photo- graphed in Paris, it tells the story of a young car thief and his A.n1erican n1Ïstress, and manages, without obviousness or moralizing, to comprehend the very n10dern nihilism that drives them to their doon1 Jean-Paul Bel- mondo and Jean Seberg are the young lovers in what must be called a contemporary mas- terpiece. (Fine .A..rts, 130 E. 5 8th , PL 5- 6 0 30.) DAYS OF THRILLS AND LAUGHTER-Charlie Chaplin in pri"oner's stripes, Douglas Fairbanks in a cowboy suit, and Pearl White in peril are just three of the many delights in this collec- tion of samples from antique movies, some of them over forty years old. Robert Y oung- son prepared the sampler and an amusing, informative narration to go with it. (68th St. Playhouse. 3rd Ave. at 68th, RE 4- 0 3 02 ) DON QUlxOTE-Cervante ' picaresque classic in a faithful, sometin1es dull, but largely re- warding translation into Ru ian, of all things. Director Grigory Kozintsey's extraor- dinary eye for color, and a marvellously sen- sitive performance by Nikolai Cherkasov, ,,,ho plays the lViad Knight, outweigh the oversimplicities of the plot and the n1Ìsfor- tune of an awkward job of dubbing. (55 th St. Playhouse, 154 W. 55 th , JU 6-459 0 .) ELMER GANTRy-Dark doings among the revival- ist crowd in the twenties, as interpreted. often cogently, hy Richard Brooks, who based his findings on the Sinclair Lewis novel. Burt Lancaster and Jean Sin1mons are the most conspicuous Gospel shouters, and Edward Andrews, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger, and Shirley J ones render excellent support. (R.K.O. 58th St., 3rd Ave at 5 8th , EL 5- 3577, Orpheun1, 3 rd A. ve at 86th, AT 9- 4607; and Sheridan, 7th Ave at 12th, W.A.. 9- 2166 : starting . pril 19 ) THE ENTERTAINER-Laurence Olivier gives a stunning perfonnance as a hdrd-drinking, lascivious. and thoroughl) untalented n1usic- hall singer and dancer. No use pretending the film vvill make you feel good; still, it would be a shame to miss Olivier at the very top of his bent, ably assisted by Joan Plowright, Brenda de Banzie, and Roger Livesey. (Thalia, B'way at 95th, AC 2- 3370; starting April 14.) ExoDus-The new heavyweight chan1pion, weighing in at three hours and forty-five minutes shows an unfortunate preference for dialectics over fighting. Otto Pren1Ìnger has lavished so much time and caution on this film version of the best-seller that the battle for Israel often resembles a high-school debate on the subject of tolerance. Paul Newman, Ralph Richardson. Eva lViarie Saint, and Lee J. Cobb are the chief fili- busters (Warner, B'way at 47th, CO 5- 57 I!. Vveekdays at 8 and Sundays at 7:3 0 . lViatinees daily at 2. Reserved seats only.) THE LOVE GAME-La nouvelle vague brings us this charming picture, and it is pleasant to discover that the latest fashion in comedy appears to be the very old fashion of pro- voking laughter. A truly funny French im- . ., " E IE . ... - e " - r:fJ:t& CAR !\lEG' E - , --....... -- I! - --- ,. - XI FILMS OF MORE THAN ROUTINE INTEREST ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION port, in which an attractive pair of lovers quarrels and makes up in the streets shops, night clubs, and green purlIeus of Paris, and oh, how young you will feel, watching them! (Thalia, B'way at 95th, .A..C 2-3370; starting April 14.) THE MISFITs-The presence and perfonnances of l\ilarilyn lVionroe and the late Clark Gable (who are exactly right for their parts) and some fine work by lViontgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma Ritter do not, alas, make up for a startlingly sentimental and obvious script by .A..rthur lVIiller John Huston directed this modern Western about cowboys and divorcées (72nd St. Playhouse, 1st .A..ve. at 72nd. BD 8-9304; through April 18, ten- tative. ) ONE EYED JACKS-As the director of this movie about revenge in the old West, lViarlon Brando has supplied a good many new ideas and twisted a good many standard ones into new shapes. As its star, his performance as a bandit and killer is unpredictable and nothing short of brilliant (Capitol, B'way at 51St, JC 2-5 060 .) A RAISIN IN THE SUN-Ruby Dee, Claudia lVlc- Neil, Sidney Poitier, and Diana Sands head the cast of this movie about the domestic fun and don1estic clashes of a Negro family lViost, though not all, of the clashes are the result of a check for ten thousand dollars that points the way out of the Chicago slum in which the falnily is stuck. (Forun1, B'way at 47th, PL 7-8320; and Trans-LuÀ 5 2nd St., Lexington at 52nd PL 3- 2 434.) SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING-In his own adaptation of his novel about a defiant young factory worker in a British provincial city, .A..lan Sillitoe has pro\ ided the actors with son1e of the n10st pungent dialogue to be heard in any n10vie in years Albert Fin- ney, who plays the leading role, is a delightful en1bodin1ent of the Bronx cheer. (Baronet, 3rd .\ve. at 59th, EL 5- 166 3.) SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS-A breezy acting out of Stephen Potter's well-kno\\ n principles of gan1esmanship and lifemanship Professor Potter is played by Alastair Siln. and his apt pupil is Tan Carmichael, who, once he gets the hang of one-upmanship, Inakes glor- ious hash of a formidable rival, the terrible- ten1perec1 Terry-Thomas. One of the brightest of the English in1ports. (Waverly, 6th .A..ve. at 3rd, Vv A. 9-8038; .A..pril 16-17.) SHADows-A.n episodic movie, all of it Im- provised by a group of young and unfamiliar players under the directorial guidance of John Cassavetes. The results of the im- provisadons are always surprising and, oc- casionally, quite .wonderful. (New En1bassy, B'wa) at 46th, PL 7- 2 408.) THE SUNDOWNERS-A cheerful if some\\ hat sim- ple-minded account of the joys and despairs of a family of sheep drovers in the Australian outback Juniors will probably like the crunchy s-weetness of the story more than their parents, but all hands will enj oy the wildlife that hops about in the handson1e sce'1ery. Fred Zinnemann is responsible for this Technicolor road show, and Robert lViitchum, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, and lVIichael Anderson, Jr., are the principal tour- ists (Greenwich, Greenwich Ave. at I zth, W A 9-3350; April 16-18.) THE THREEPENNY OPERA-A 1931 Gennan inter- pretation of the musical effort that has been playing around lVianhattan for about forty years. The movie shows its age, as well it might, but the cast is willing and able, the songs are lively, and Lotte Lenya is on hand to see that justice is done the Kurt Weill music. (Bleecker St. Cinema, 144 Bleecker St., OR 4-3210; April 13.) TUNES OF GLORy-Sir Alec Guinness wins the actor's Victoria Cross for his daring and endlessly subtle performance as an alcoholic colonel who destroys his ene111Y and himself in a frightening struggle for the command of a peacetime Highland regiment. John Mills is almost as fine as Sir Alec, and Dennis Price, Kay Walsh, and Gordon Jack- son also flash their tartans. (Little Carnegie, 146 vV. 57th, CI 6-3454.) Two-W AY STRETCH-A broad and happy farce, showing exactly how to break out of a pro- gressive British prison, steal a truckload of diamonds, and break back in again, all in the same night. Peter Sellers is wickedly funny as the chief jailbird, and he gets talented help from Wilfrid Hyde White, David Lodge, and Bernard Cribbins. (Guild, 33 W. 50th, PL 7- 2 4 06 .) {tE,VIV ALS FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952)-A French film about the effect of war and death on two small children With Brigitte Fossey and Georges Poujouly. (8th St. Playhouse, 52 W. 8th, GR 7-7874.) THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE ( 194 I)-John Stein- beck's semi-docl.unentary about a lVlexican hamlet. (Thalia, B'way at 95th, AC 2-337 0 ; April 13.) HE WHO MUST DIE (19S8)-A French picture about some Greek villagers who in the course of staging a Passion play, unwittingly revert to the original roles. vVith Pierre Vaneck and lVielina lViercouri. (Thalia, B'way at 95th, AC 2-3370; .A..pril 13.) HIROSHIMA, MON AMOUR (1960)-A French film that describes the doomed love of a French- woman for a Japanese. Directed b) Alain Resnais, and with En1manuelle Riva and Eiji Okada in the leading roles. (Greenwich, Greenwich .A. ve. at 12th, vV A 9-335 0 ; through April 15 ... (jJ lViidtown, B'way at looth, AC 2-1200; through April 18.) THE KING AND I (1956)-Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. (Rivoli, B'way at 49th. C] 7- I 633.) THE LOST WEEKEND (1945)- The prize-\vinning temperance lecture. Ray lVlilland, Jane Wy- man, and Howard Da Silva. (New Yorker, B'way at 88th. TR 4-9189; through April 19.) ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)-A princess slips away from her entourage in Rome and winds up seeing the sights with an American news- paperman and a photographer. Audrey Hep- burn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert. (New Yorker, B'way at 88th, TR 4-9189; through April 19.) ROOM AT THE Top (1959)-The difficulties of a young man of lowly birth who is trying to make his way upstream against all the social pressures of sn1all-town society. An English fihn, with Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret. (Waverly, 6th Ave at 3rd, W.A.. Q-8038; April J8-19.) ROSEMARY (1960 )-A sardonic view of some get-rich-quick operators in post-Nazi Frank- furt. .A.. German film, based on a true story and starring Nadja Tiller. (Waverly, 6th Ave at 3rd, WA 9-8038; April 18- 1 9.) Sous LES TOITS DE PARIS (1930 )-Early René Clair film In French. (Bleecker St. Cinema, 144 Bleecker St, OR 4-3210; starting April 14.) TIGER BAY (1959 )-Hayley lVIills as a lively sn1all fry who witnesses a Inurder in Cardiff An English film. (Art, 36 E 8th, GR 3- 7014; through April 19, tentative.) MUSEUM OF MODERN ART FILM LIBRARy-See listing under "Other E\ ents," page 13.